The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-06
A BETTER OUTLOOK FOR GAS
The Common Councils Pipeline 0rdi-
nance Will Probably Be Amended.
Colonel Payne Says His Company. Under an
Acceptable Franchise, Can Bring Gas
to the City in Four Months.

1
the natura-gas ordinance. 1t is being recog-
/ nized more fully that the early presence of gas
| here depends upon amending the ordinance
| passed by the Council, and the aldermen
! are now more inclined to change it materially
! than they were a week ago Several informal
meetings of the members of that body have been
\ held. At first there seemed to be possibility
4 of striking out the tax feature. but when the
! ordinance comes up in the regular meeting
| of the aldermen next Monday night this
| will be done outright it will
| be amended TO give the
| Council the option of imposing tax. 'If this
| is DONE" gentleman interested in the gas ques
ton said, last night, 'it.wll be virtually
clause of that character is in the electriclight
charter. 1t has been in operation six years, and
effort has been made to tax it specially. do
, not approve Of that method of taxation. Be-
sides burdening corporations and preventing
them from doing well by the people, the tax in
I the end must be paid by their patrons A
| free supply of gas is only taxation in
| another form, and the way this ordinance shapes
! it will cost any pipeline company fully $50, 600
per year for the privilege of bringing gas to the
| city. No men of business would be will
| ing to operate under such burden This ex-
preston is general, either in unqualified OBJ
| lection to that feature of the ordinance. or SO
modified to mean local company would pay
| tax but not in the manner of both free supply
| and a specific tax the pipe laid.
| 1t is understood that, even for any local pipe
| line organization the ordinance is too restrict
! ive and that if the amendments do not reach
! the wishes of foreign capitalists who are desr-
| GUS of piping to the city, it is doubtful if any
| local corporation would undertake the work with
the tax and fixed rate of prices i'm posed upon it.
| One or the other would have to go, with the
| probability of serious objection to the free
supply asked for by the city before local capital
| lists would operate a line. But the tendency of
| opinion, shaped by the recent m ceilings of man
| ufacturers, business and professional men is
decidedly toward radical amendments, and it is
given out that these will be of satisfactory
character, as far the Standard Oil Trust is
concerned
| Men who are presumed to know the drift OF
! affairs were saying yesterday that the Standard
/ Oil people would eventually bring gas to :he
1 city, and that before the year is closed. I'VE
| will have gas in October" said one whose direct
interests with the proposed consolidated
! company represented by the Indianapolis
! Naturaigas Company and the manufactures.
| He did not think the latter were progressing as
4 tavorably in securing stock subscriptions
thew sey assured hs
/ remarked. that within few days they would
! have $40, 900 $4,000 subscribed. AT the
resenting 10000 but in renewing that subscrip-
| ton under the new scheme they S., 900 short
The manufacturers could well afford to subscribe
| amount for this enterprise double their yearly
| cost of fuel. but there is hesitancy about it
| that has possibly been caused by the change of
opinion in regard to the restrictive features OF
| the ordinance. If these are removed there is
! question about having gas without an outlay by
manufacturers"
| Colonel Paynes talk to the meeting Saturday
| night no doubt has influenced the manufacturers
to walt until they have a consultation with him.
| The Colonel is to meet the manufacturers to-
night He thinks he will be able to satisfy
them that the Standard Oil people supply
them with gas in a manner to make it profit
able, but it cannot be done, he said, upon any
basis fixed by ordinance. The only difficulty.
perhaps, that stands in the way of under
standing between Colonel Payne and the
manufacturers lies in the use of slack, which the
Colonel terms "a nasty, dirty fuel; the waste
| from the Mines which mine operators glad
| to get rid of. 1t costs nothing" he says, but
| for transportation and handling. and with this
we do not propose to compete. However l
| think / convince the manufacturers that it
| will be their interest to substitute gas for
slack" This waste coal is extensively used, and
| the Indianapolis manufacturers get it for so
| cents per ton. A manufacturer, whose coal
| costs him So 900 per month told the Colonel: 81
want gas and do not care who brings it to the
city. just as soon as 1t can be piped here will
/ do away with coal, slack any other fuel"
| 1t is said that If the people do not large
discount from tho cost of coal they do not think
there is sufficient economy in gas. Col. Payne
says: THAT is mistake. Let me illustrate
| We are piping gas into city of p, 900 inhab-
itants, and it is extensively used, averaging
through the winter as well only one and three
quarters fire to the house The gas heat is
sufficient to do twice the work OF stove or
crate. Cook-stoves are included in this
average. We object to fixed charge
because it interferes with q simple business
proposition. We look to the future we'll
the present, and all our calculations are made
upon the supply of gas in any one field becoming
exhausted When that occurs must seek
new fields. There is another element of expense
fbota into thn h,,ci Of hfnh nnv1o
have no knowledge. 1t belongs to a system of
enforced expense that we cannot avoid. We
must meet to save our wells A few years ago
we leased tract of land and sunk
two wells. They were not profitable,
and the lease was given up. to
be taken by another company. Adjoining
this tract sunk other wells that at first had
600 pounds pressure. In the meantime the other
company sunk three more wells. Our pressure
began to recede, and 1t was found that the gas
flowed into the new wells of the competing COM
pany. increasing their volume and pressure.
We had to buy the other company out to
gas. This is often practiced. 1t has been
asked why do we lease much territory? 1t is
because we are looking to the future to main
tain our supply of gas. When all the fields
exhausted, and perhap before, the problem of an
artificial fuel gas will be solved and the
plant we have can be used for that All these
things considered in the making of our in
vestments. If it were otherwise we could only
count on our plants having the value of old junk
within a few years 1t will require thirty wells
to supply a ren-inch main for this city When
the ordinance Is paSseQ SO we can WOrh uuuer lt,
we will be ready TO begin operations the next
day. Our company, within short time will
have 400 men busy in laying the pipes. Within
four months we have sys-
tenn of forty-fve miles in the
city. and from that extend rapidly possible
to meet the requirements of the people. It took
Pittsburg fifteen years to get where she Is to-day
in the use of natural gas. Within the past four
months Indianapolis has obtained resources
equal to those of Pittsburg. 1t is impossible for
one company to get the benefit of the supply.
Hence, competition will naturally reduce the
price" The ultimate supply for this city, it is
conjectured, will come from the Anderson fields.
The Food of the Turks.
81 Jufard in June Cosmopolitan.